The Dark Book: Whilst The Sakura Blossom Blooms
by DarkWriter13
Summary: When Kayl runs away from home and comes to live with the mysterious Sohma family, things that were once clouded in her life become more apperant with each passing day. Book one of The Books of the Heart.
1. How It Began

_Whilst The Sakura Blossom Blooms_

Chapter One

The Sumizome household was like any other in the city of Tokyo. A medium sized house with a small backyard for playing and relaxing by the small pond overlooked by a Sakura tree. The house was wood, painted over with white. There were four steps that lead up to the front porch and door. Above there was a small balcony outside one of the rooms. Inside, there was a hallway that lead to the stairs and several other hallways that attached to the main one, leading to rooms downstairs. Upstairs, there were not many different rooms. Just three bedrooms and a bathroom.

There were three girls that lived in this house. They had no parents, but they used to. Unfortunately, the parents died in a tragic car accident. The girls were in the car at the time, but they made it out with wounds that, luckily, weren't fatal. All they had were each other. The eldest, Kurusude Sumizome, was twenty-six years old and already had a small job as a painter. It wasn't much, but it brought food to the table. She had waist length chocolate hair that she always kept in a tight bun, as to not get paint on it. Her eyes were large and dark brown and her skin was peach colored. Today she wears an old pink t-shirt and faded jeans with a white smock as she starts her new master-piece. She locks herself in the painting room downstairs as not to be disturbed. The second eldest, Monkeyruu Sumizome, was twenty-one and still in college. She had calf-length dark red hair with tips that were dyed black and she always let her hair fly allover the place. Her eyes were golden and her skin was tanned from staying out in the sun all day every day. Her strange hair color came from their mother, who came from America to start a new job here in Japan. Right now, she was at school, but she would be home soon. The youngest at the tender age of seventeen, and the main character of our story, sits in her room all alone, staring out at the Sakura tree from her balcony. Her name was Kayla Sumizome, but preferred to just be Kayl. She had earlobe length black hair, with the exception of two strands that reached her waist. The black of her hair was that of a night without stars or the light of the moon to see. Her eyes were a deep, profound dark blue, the same as that of the deepest parts of the ocean. Her skin was a milky white from lack of sunlight. She wore a black kimono that she had inherited from her father. She had to tie it very tightly as to fit around her tiny waist, but it still sagged around her chest, drooping down around her shoulders.

Kayl wasn't sick, nor was she hideously deformed, she was actually a very pretty young girl. She just preferred to be alone ever since the accident. She blames herself for what happened. She doesn't wish to hurt anyone else with her powers. She had the powers of telepathy and telekinesis. It was a wonderful gift, but she treated it as though it were a curse. She was very soft-spoken, mostly she never spoke at all. She sighed softly as she watched the petals of the tree blew down in the light breeze and floated on the surface of the pond.

The downstairs door burst open as Monkeyruu rushed in from college. She was wearing a light blue midriff t-shirt with a monkey head on the chest and low hip hugger jeans.

"I'm home!" She cheerfully shouted. "Kuru-chan! Kay-chan! Where is everybody!" She cried in her fake hyper frenzy.

Kurusude popped her head out of the painting room and smiled widely. "Monkey-chan!" She ran out covered in paint to greet her sibling. "We missed you!" She went to hug Monkeyruu, but she was pushed back slightly.

"Now Kuru-chan, you don't want to get my clothes full of paint do you?" Monkeyruu teased.

"Gasp! You're right! Let me go change!" She ran upstairs. Before entering her room, she knocked on Kayl's door, breaking her from her peaceful trance. "Kay-chan? You alive in there? Go say hi to Monkey-chan!"

Kayl sighed in annoyance. _Great, the idiot's home. _She thought bitterly. "Yes sister." She said bored. She slowly stood up and left the darkness of her room.

Her eyes winced as she was met with the brightness of the hallway. She slowly made her way to the stairs and made her way down. As soon as she stepped off the bottom step, she was met with a bone crushing hug.

"Kay-chan!" Squealed Monkeyruu. "I missed you little one!"

Kayl gagged from the emotion and the lack of air. Monkeyruu finally released her and smiled.

"So, how was your day?" She inquired.

"Same as always...dismal." Kayl replied. Monkeyruu just laughed.

"You're so funny, Kay-chan!" She smiled at the girl and walked off. "I must prepare dinner! We're having pot-stickers!" She cried in a sing-song voice as she rushed for the kitchen.

Kayl shuddered with disgust. Monkeyruu, as persistent as she was, was a terrible cook. She once gave everyone at a party food poisoning for two weeks. Kurusude came down the stairs in a pink v-neck shirt with the sleeves flaring out and a shin-length black skirt. She looked at Kayl with confusion.

"What's wrong Kayl?" She blinked. Kayl turned to look at her slowly.

"Monkeyruu's cooking..." Kurusude stood there for a few seconds. Then rushed off.

"Monkey-chan! Maybe I should cook tonight!" Kayl chuckled softly to herself. She never smiled around people.

Later that night, everyone was sitting around the table eating pot-stickers that were, thankfully, cooked by Kurusude. Kayl watched Monkeyruu and Kurusude whisper to each other. It annoyed her when people kept stuff from her, and it was most likely about herself since they kept looking at her every few minutes of whispering. She finally spoke.

"You know how much it hurts me when you keep secrets...what stupidity could you two be possibly sharing amongst yourselves now?" She asked impatiently. The two stared at her for a moment. The first to speak was Monkeyruu.

"Kayla...we know you may have some problems with your 'gift'" Kayl raised an eyebrow in intrest. Only when it was extremely important would Monkeyruu use Kayl's full name.

"Go on..." she replied. Next Kurusude spoke.

"Well, Monkeyruu and I have been talking about it. We've found a place that could help you. It's in America and you'd be away from us but-"

"NO!" Kayl shouted, slamming her fists on the table. "I won't go!"

"Kayla..." sighed Monkeyruu, but Kayl wouldn't listen.

"I don't need any help! I'm just fine!" Kayl growled, then a thought struck her. "...You think it's my fault as well. Both of you. That's what this is all about isn't it!"

"Kayla!" shouted Kurusude. "We've told you a million times, we don't blame you for-"

"Shut up! You're lying! You hate me for what happened to mom and dad! That's why you say I need help! I don't need it! I don't, I don't, I don't!" Kayl was now gripping her ears and shaking her head back and forth, as if to block them out. Several pot-stickers rose from the plate and flew across the room, smacking Monkeyruu right in the face. Kurusude pulled Kayl's hands down from her ears and gripped her wrists tightly. Kayl winced from the force.

"Stop it Kayla! Stop this nonsense right now!" Kurusude shouted. She looked Kayl right in the eyes, which was difficult for her to do. Kayl's eyes seemed to pierce right into one's very soul. She sighed. "Look. This isn't easy for us either, but we feel that if you did think that you were responsible for mom and dad's death, you would want to make sure that it never happened again right?"

Kayl just glared at her, which made Kurusude grip her wrists tighter.

"Answer me Kayla." She glared right back at her, but her gaze was wavering.

"...Yes." Kayl stated in an angry tone.

"Then the decision is final. You're going and that's that. I don't want any angry fits of food or anything flying across the room. Do I make myself clear Kayla?" She waited for a response.

Kayl shot a death glare at both of them. With a newfound force, she shoved Kurusude away from her and rushed up into her room. Kurusude stood up to follow her, but Monkeyruu grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"Let her go. She needs time to think." Said Monkeyruu. Kurusude nodded and sat down and struck up a conversation with her sibling.

Meanwhile, Kayl was strewn out upon her bed, her chin buried in her arms as she stared out at the rain. Lightning crashed and thunder boomed, but Kayl didn't flinch. Nothing seemed to bother her ever since that day.

_Flashback_

_Kayl and her sibling sat out in the lobby, waiting for a response about their parents. They all had bandages, but Kayl had them mostly around her mid back. It had been snowing pretty badly out. Kayl was only five at this time. Kurusude was twelve and Monkeyruu was eight. Kayl kept herself wrapped in the comforting arms of her siblings. They said they had hit a patch of black ice, but Kayl knew what really happened. She had gotten angry at Monkeyruu and her power grabbed the steering wheel and swerved them into oncoming traffic. They were hit by a truck, but miraculously the children had gotten out with non fatal wounds. They had no idea what had happened to their parents, but they were about to find out. The doctor walked out of the emergency room and called Kurusude over, since she was the eldest, into a different hall._ _After they reached the opposite hall, Kayl wriggled out of Monkeyruu's grasp and spied on her sister and the doctor. She had gotten there right in the middle of the conversation._

"_How will your sisters take it?" asked the doctor._

"_Monkeyruu's old enough to understand, and Kayl's a smart kid, she'll get it." Said Kurusude. Her voice was wavering and cracking. Kayl could tell she was trying not to cry._

"_I'm sorry...do you have somewhere to stay for now?" The doctor placed a hand on Kurusude's shoulder._

"_...Yes" Kurusude lied. "We'll stay with our grandparents." Kayl blinked. Their grandparents had been dead for a few years now._

_The doctor nodded and walked towards Kayl with Kurusude. She quickly ran for Monkeyruu and sat down as if she hadn't moved. Kurusude stood in front of them, her face was sad and streaked with tears now._

"_...Kuru-chan? What's wrong? Is mom and dad gonna be ok?" Monkeyruu asked, walking towards her sibling._

"_...They're dead, Monkeyruu. Mom and dad. They're gone." At that, their older sister broke down and started sobbing uncontrollably. Monkeyruu wrapped her arms around Kurusude and tried her best to comfort her, even though she was crying as well._

"_It's my fault." Was what they heard come from Kayl's mouth, in that small voice of hers._

"_W-what are you talking about Kayl?" Asked Monkeyruu, her voice wavering._

"_Mom and dad are dead...and it's all my fault." Kayl took a step back. "I'm cursed...I can't go anywhere without hurting the people around me. It's my fault! I should be dead!" She ran out the door. Out of the hospital and into the snow._

"_Kayla!" Was all she heard from Kurusude as she ran. As fast as she her stubby child's legs could take her in the snow. She ran past a grocery store, her school and many other buildings. She ran into a cemetery, hauntingly beautiful covered in snow. She finally tripped on a root under the snow and fell before one of the tombstones. She cried out in pain. She had scraped her knee on one of the rocks underneath the snow. She held her knee and bit back her tears. She looked up at the tombstone. It was tall with an angel atop it. She was beautiful, her wings stretched out to their fullest as she reached for the sky. Kayl quickly averted her eyes to the ground. She wrapped her arms around herself and clenched her eyes shut._

'_It's my fault. Mom and dad are gone. It's because of me. If I hadn't gone with them today, they would probably still be alive...I'm horrible. I'm a burden. A curse to my family. I don't deserve to live.' She thought bitterly. She hated herself for what she had done. She shook violently as cold tears fell down her face. She knelt there, crying underneath the tombstone. Pain, anger, sadness, all those emotion mixed into one. She just cried. Cried for her family. Cried for herself._

_End Flashback._

Kayl sat up and glared out the window. _Well, if they find me such a burden, I'll go._ She thought angrily. She stood up and quickly changed into a baggy black turtle neck and a long black skirt. She packed necessities. Clothes, money, anything that she would need to live out on her own. She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out onto her balcony, out in the rain. She looked down, since she was two stories up, this would be very difficult. She threw her bag off the balcony and it hit the ground with a sickening squish. She swung one leg over the top of the fence surrounding the balcony, then the other. She slowly climbed to the bottom edge of the balcony and hung there for a minute. She looked around frantically for something to grab onto and climb down, but there was nothing. She was slipping, the balcony was already wet from the rain, and Kayl's arms were too weak to hang there for so long. Soon, she slipped and fell down quickly. She shrieked loudly, but it was muffled by the crackling thunder. She landed hard on her feet. A shot of pain flew up Kayl's left leg and she fell over. She held her left ankle as she winced and bit back tears of pain. She slowly got herself up and, grabbing her bag, limped off quickly into the night.

She wandered far away from her house. It was raining hard now, and she was soaked through to the bone. Her ankle was throbbing painfully, but Kayl kept going. She finally stopped in front of the cemetery. She looked at the entrance for a moment. She couldn't really make out the words of the sign, since her hair was wet and hung in front of her face, but she could tell where she was. She limped inside. She kept walking into the cemetery until she reached two tombstones. They both said Sumizome, It was her parent's tombstones. Kayl knelt in front of the tombs and lay down between them. She lay there for a while and, after almost twelve years, started crying softly to herself. She finally cried herself to sleep, ignoring the pain in her left ankle and the cold rain hitting her face and soaking her even more. She slept.


	2. What It Came To

_Whilst The Sakura Blossom Blooms_

Chapter Two

The following morning, the sun shone down and hit Kayl right in the face. Her eyes flinched for a moment and slowly opened. She looked around sleepily and was surprised to find that she was no longer in the cemetery. She was now in a small room in a bed that was pressed up underneath the window. She pushed herself up on her elbows and rubbed her right eye. Kayl looked down and was even more surprised, not to mention embarrassed, that she was no longer in the clothes she had left home in. She now wore a simple white kimono. She sat up completely and let her legs hang over the side of the bed. Looking down at her left ankle, she saw that it was now bandaged up and only stung a bit.

"Where am I...?" she muttered softly to herself.

Suddenly, the sliding door opened to reveal a girl. She looked to be around Kayl's age. She had waist-length dark brown hair that had a blue bow in the back of it. Her eyes were blue and friendly. She had on a yellow shirt, a denim skirt and an apron. She smiled happily at Kayl.

"Oh good! You're awake." she said, walking over to her and sitting down on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?" She asked with a now concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine...where am I?" inquired Kayl in a soft voice.

"Oh, you're at the Sohma house. My name is Tohru Honda, it's nice to meet you." she said smiling. "So what's you're name?"

"Kayl Sumizome..." she replied. Tohru smiled.

"Well it's nice to meet you Kayl. Are you hungry? We're having breakfast right now." said Tohru. Kayl's stomach growled in response, she blushed.

"I-I guess so." she said looking at the floor. She went to stand up and stumbled a bit from her ankle. Tohru nearly jumped up.

"Do you need any help getting downstairs?" asked Tohru a bit nervously.

"No, I'm fine, just a little disoriented." replied Kayl.

Kayl slowly made her way down the stairs, trying as best as she could to not stumble over herself. She made it over the last step and found the kitchen to be nearby. She stood in the doorway and saw three men sitting at the table. One had bright red hair and red-brown eyes that made Kayl stare at him for a moment in question. The other boy had dark grey hair and large purple eyes. He was very attractive and Kayl couldn't really look at him without blushing. The last man was the oldest and he had black hair and greyish-green eyes. They all looked at her as she walked in.

"So, you're finally awake." smiled the older man.

"Who are you? How'd I get here?" Kayl had so many questions for these people.

"We'll explain things in a minute." said the older man once more. "Please sit and have some breakfast. It's pancakes!" he said in a sing song voice that made Kayl's eye twitch.

She sat down next to the red-headed boy and ate her share of pancakes. When everyone was done, she looked at them once more.

"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?" she gazed at all of them unwaveringly. The older man smiled again.

"Oh, where are my manners today? My name is Shigure Sohma." He pointed to the grey-haired boy. "This is Yuki Sohma."

Yuki bowed his head lightly. "Pleased to meet you Miss."

Shigure then pointed to the red-head. "And this is Kyo Sohma."

Kyo just glanced at Kayl for a moment and scoffed, which earned him a smack upside the head from Yuki.

"Don't you have any manners you stupid cat?" asked Yuki in an annoyed voice. Kyo jumped up and started shouting at Yuki.

"Damn rat! What the hell was that for!" growled Kyo.

"If you don't know, then you're more of a fool then I first thought." stated Yuki calmly. Tohru was getting nervous again.

"Please, um, stop fighting. Yuki? Kyo?" But she couldn't stop them.

"Gah! I'm sick of that snotty attitude of yours!" barked Kyo.

"And I'm sick of your idiocy." Yuki sipped some of his drink.

"That's it! You and me, right now, pretty boy!" shouted Kyo. Kayl could feel a migraine rising in her head. This was very annoying.

"Now, now children. We have a guest." smiled Shigure as he sipped his drink. "I'm sure she doesn't want to be witness to a violent argument."

"Yes, now sit down like a good stupid cat." said Yuki. Kyo just growled, muttering to himself as he sat down. Kayl sighed softly in relief, her headache was going away.

"Now for my second question, how'd I get here?" she looked at them. Tohru apperantely would be the one to tell the story.

"Well, Yuki, Kyo and I were going to visit Mom in the cemetery" started Tohru.

_Flashback_

_The three teens are seen walking through the cemetery. Tohru has her rice-ball umbrella, Yuki his rat umbrella and Kyo his cat umbrella. She looked up at the rain pouring from the sky._

"_My, this rain came so suddenly." said Tohru._

"_Yes, it has" sighed Yuki. Kyo looked at them angrily._

"_Can we go now? You know how I get when it rains!" growled Kyo. Yuki leered at him._

"_Have some patience stupid cat." Yuki turned from him and started walking off with Tohru. Kyo growled to himself and followed._

_They ventured deeper into the cemetery. Suddenly, Tohru tripped over something and fell forward. She yelped in surprise as she hit the ground._

"_Miss Honda! Are you alright?" Yuki ran over to Tohru and knelt beside her, helping her stand. _

"_Yes, I'm fine. I just tripped." smiled Tohru. She looked over to see what she had tripped over. Tohru gasped in terror at what she saw._

_It was a girl. She was laying there completely motionless and she was completely soaked. Her black hair clung to her face and neck, and her clothes clung to every delicate curve of her body. She was very pale. Tohru immediately assumed the worst._

"_It's a girl! I...I think she's dead.." Tohru crawled over to her and pressed a finger to her neck. She sighed in relief, the girl was still alive. Yuki and Kyo stared in complete shock._

"_What would she be doing out here in this downpour?" Inquired Yuki, kneeling beside Tohru. She looked the girl over, and she appeared unharmed. Her eyes locked on the girl's left ankle. It was dark red and horribly swollen, it looked broken._

"_She needs help. We should get her somewhere dry and call the hospital" Suggested Tohru. The two boys nodded and grabbed the girl's arms. Tohru grabbed her legs. They lifted her up and started moving their way out of the cemetery._

_They had just made it out of the entrance when Tohru tripped again. She fell over and the girl fell forward, right into Yuki and Kyo. They all flinched, waiting for the inevitable 'poof'. Surprisingly, there came none. Tohru stared at them as they held the girl, and they didn't transform._

"_W-what's going on? Why haven't you both transformed?" Tohru was confused now. Wasn't the whole deal of the Sohma Curse that they couldn't hold a member of the opposite gender?_

"_I-I don't know..." Replied Yuki, just as shocked as the other two._

"_This is weird..." stated Kyo. "We should take her back to the house and call Hatori. Maybe he knows something."_

_All three of them agreed and headed for Shigure's house, hoping to find out what this all meant._

_End Flashback_

"We called Hatori. He came and bandaged up your ankle. He said it wasn't anything serious, just a hairline fracture. You should be fine in about a week." said Tohru.

"Unfortunately, he couldn't tell us anything about why Yuki and Kyo didn't transform when they caught you. He was surprised himself." stated Shigure.

Kayl sat there. She understood why she was here now, but was still utterly confused about another thing. Transform? Curse? What was wrong with this family?

"What did you mean by...transform?" Inquired Kayl. At this point everyone got a serious look on their face.

"Well Miss...miss..I'm sorry, what's your name?" Asked Yuki.

"Oh, it's Kayl." replied Kayl.

"Ok. Well Miss Kayl, there are a select few in the Sohma family that take part in a curse. It makes it so that whenever we hug a member of the opposite sex, we transform into a member of the Chinese Zodiac. I am the rat, Shigure is the dog and Kyo's the cat." calmly stated Yuki.

Kayl blinked. "But the cat isn't a member of the Zodiac."

"Don't remind me!" growled Kyo, his back turned to everyone.

"Anyway, there are thirteen of us in total." Yuki looked to Kayl. "Now do you understand the magnitude of the situation?"

Kayl paused for a moment to take in this newly acquired information. As she was about to speak, there came a knock on the door. Shigure stood up and walked over to the door and opened it. There stood a man with medium length black hair that covered his left eye, which were both a gold-greenish color. He wore a business suit and he had a serious look on his face.

"Ah, Hatori, what brings you here?" Asked Shigure. Hatori looked over at Kayl.

"Akito has requested the girl stay at the Main House. I was sent here to get her."


	3. Meeting Akito

_Whilst The Sakura Blossom Blooms_

Chapter Three

All but Kayl stared at Hatori in shock. If Akito wanted her to stay at the Main House, let alone see her, she must play an important piece in this never ending chess game.

"B-but why? Does he want her memory erased?" asked Yuki. Kayl shot them a look of question and shock. This Akito person could erase people's memories?.

"I'm not sure, but he says it's imperative that I bring her immediately." His gaze never left the small, fragile frame of a person that was Kayl. She just glared at him, as if to say 'Just what's so interesting?'. He turned away. "Go pack your things, we're leaving now."

Kayl scoffed, turning on her heel and heading up the stairs. They all watched her leave. Hatori looked out the window.

_I wonder what it is that Akito knows about this? _He thought to himself. The head of Sohma House could be quite cunning, despite his mental condition.

Kayl hadn't even had a chance to unpack her things, since she had only been there for a few hours. Still, Hatori hadn't expected her down for a while, so she changed into her clothes from yesterday, they were washed and dried from the downpour she had sat in. She sat herself at the foot of the bed, laying back and staring at the ceiling. She started thinking about the look on everyone's faces at the mention of that name. Akito. She wondered what it was about this man that struck such fear, such anguish in their auras. Especially around Yuki did she feel an inner pain. A deep seeded pain, possibly from a trauma of his past. Was it caused by this man? And why did he wish to see her? Her thoughts were shattered by a voice.

"Miss Kayl?" She shot up to look at the person in the doorway. It was Shigure.

"Yes?" She questioned. "What is it?"

Shigure walked over to the cot and sat down next to her. He sighed softly and looked over at her. A look of concern was in his eyes.

"When you go to see Akito..." He paused for a moment. "I just need to warn you. He doesn't take lightly when people find out about the Sohmas. If you were anyone else, he would probably have had your memories erased before you could even react, but there's something that you have. Something that he might need. He'll probably try and break you, hurt you. Akito will do anything to get his way. I want you to promise me that you'll try your best to avoid him. I have a sense that you'll be a part in the lifting of this curse." He smiled warmly at her, but his eyes were sad. She could tell she'd be in danger the moment she reached the Main House.

"...I promise." she said gently. He smiled again.

"Well, that's a relief for me. Come on, I'll help you get your things in the car." Before she could say anything, he already had her bag and had left her room. She sighed softly and followed him out.

They had all said their goodbyes and she got in the car. Before Hatori pulled out, Tohru came running to the side of the car. Kayl rolled down the window and looked at her.

"Yes?" Kayl enquired. Tohru leaned her head in the window.

"Be safe Kayl." She smiled warmly at her. Kayl rolled her eyes, in a non sarcastic way.

"You have no idea how many times I've been told that." Tohru giggled softly and backed up. They all waved as Hatori drove off with her.

The car ride was none too comforting. It was too silent. Kayl tried her best to ignore it, staring out the window at the passing scenery. Hatori was interested by the girl. So silent, so small and delicate. It was difficult not to stare at her. Some people would probably pity her, even without knowing what the problem was. He finally broke the silence.

"So, what's your name?" Kayl looked at the front mirror.

"Kayl Sumizome..." she replied placidly. Hatori paused for a moment. Sumizome...that name sounded so familiar. He knew it was something important, but he couldn't put his finger on where he had heard that name.

"Sumizome...interesting name. Doesn't it mean darkness or something?" he bespoke. She stared directly at his eyes as she stared into the mirror.

"Yes...that is interesting isn't it?" she replied in an emotionless tone. Hatori directed his eyes back to the road. There was another awkward silence that lasted til the end of the car ride.

Hatori opened the door and helped Kayl out of the car. She went to the trunk and got her bag, they walked to the gate. This was the first time Kayl entered the gate to the Main House, and, most likely, she'd never come back out. She looked around in awe. The Sohma Estate was enormous. It was almost like an ancient castle that she had seen in textbooks. High roofs with blue tile, their own personal stream and garden, and dozens of people walking around. Many people turned to look at her. Many started whispering to each other in groups. Kayl's eye slightly twitched at the sharing of secrets. She absolutely loathed it when people kept things about her from her. This was no problem, she could just as easily read their minds and find out just what they were talking about. She moved nearby, keeping herself well hidden in the shadows, giving them the impression she had left. Her eyes radiated with a purple aura as she penetrated their minds.

_Do you think the rumors are true? I don't know, they must be if Akito went out of his way to bring her here. She's so strange looking, who is she? Why does she look so peaked? She's ugly, isn't she? Skinny little girl, she can't be that old. What could she possibly be good for? Do you think she can break the curse? No, not in that condition, lest she kill herself. _

Some of the comments stung, but Kayl brushed them off. So, Akito thought that she could break the curse, eh? That's something new. She snuck out of the shadows, where she was confronted by Hatori.

"I'll show you to your room." He drawled. Kayl shrugged and followed him off.

It was really dim when they entered the hallway, only lit by the of the rooms behind the sliding doors. Her feet made a loud squeaking noise when they stepped upon the wood underfoot. She was led silently down the large hall. On passing one door, she felt a horribly strong aura in the room behind it. It was a mix of angst, vehement fury, with hints of sadness and fear. It hit her right in the face, creating a lilliputian migraine, and causing her to grab her head. She made a small, pathetic noise from the sudden lurch. Hatori turned to look at her.

"Something wrong?" he questioned. She looked up at him, masking the pain she felt in her head.

"No, it's nothing...who stays in that room?" She pointed to the door with the unbelievably painful aura.

"Oh, that is Akito's room. Yours is right across." He pointed to the door behind him. She moaned bitterly.

Hatori opened the door for her, and she walked in onto the tatami mats. They made a rustling sound under each footfall. She made her way to the bed and plopped her bag down upon it. It was a fairly normal room, with a sliding door that lead out onto a small porch in the garden.

"Akito requested that you came to see him at least fifteen minutes after you arrive. You have eight minutes. I will send someone to remind you when the time comes." Hatori left, the door sliding shut behind him.

Kayl sighed a bit in relief. With the door closed, her migraine wasn't as painful. She decided that she should probably dress a bit more appropriately for the occasion. She zipped open her bag and pulled out her father's kimono. It wasn't that showy, but it was enough. She quickly changed, running her fingers through her hair for any knots. When she finished, she decided to go have a look out onto the porch. She carefully slid the door open and walked out into the beautiful view. There were at least five sakura trees in view, with a small river running by and little birds darting in and out of the petals. She leaned on the fence and looked around. She paused. For a moment, just for a split second, she thought she saw a girl. Around her age, she had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was dressed entirely in blue, but what she couldn't tell. For as rapidly as she was spotted, she was gone. Kayl blinked, and shook off the feeling of familiarity she had with this girl. Suddenly, there was a small knock at the door opening. She whirled around and saw an old woman, with grey hair all up in a tight bun and a light pink kimono.

"Master Akito is waiting for you." Kayl nodded, and stepped out into the hallway. Almost immediately she was hit with that migraine again.

She groaned softly, and quickly masking her pain once again, she slid the door open and walked inside. She looked around. The room was dimmer than the hallway, only the light pouring from the open porch door allowed her to purview where she was. She looked to the porch door and was surprised to find a boy, not much older than herself. He was laying down in the doorway, his head propped up by his hand. He had plum tinged hair that was uneven in some places. He was wrapped in a white kimono with a pink kimono in accompaniment with purple trim wrapped around that. His visible arm and parts of his neck were extremely pale, even more so than she. The closer she walked, the stronger the aura became. She felt faint. Was he where the animistic feeling came from? She knelt down before him, wondering if he even realized she was there. There was a long silence.

"So, you actually came?" said Akito. His voice was very soft and calm. It was somewhat eerie.

She paused before speaking. "Yes. I have." She tried her best to sound confident, but she was a little frightened. He was too calm. He snorted.

"You sound frightened...why is that?" He scratched a nail across the wood. "Don't be shy. I don't bite." His voice was droning. She was silent, she didn't know what to say.

"I've heard that you have something special about you, am I right? What was it...oh yes. You can actually embrace those that are cursed. Am I correct?" he questioned.

"Yes..." she replied delicately. He sat up straight. She looked over at him to see that he was standing up. She quickly averted her eyes to the floor.

He slowly walked over to her, standing in front of her. Her heart throbbed greatly within her chest. What was he doing? A blanched slender hand lifted to her face and stroked her cheek gently. His fingers ran under her chin and lifted her head to face him. She stared at him. The first thing about him she noticed were his eyes. Slanted, half lidded eyes that bore into hers. They were a dark teal color. He had sharp, intelligent features. Simply, he was beautiful. She hated to admit it too. He smirked.

"My, what a cute girl you are..." He ran his fingers through her hair, he kept his hand in her hair for a few minutes.

Suddenly, with a violent jerking motion, he grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground. She yelped out in pain as she hit the ground. She went to sit up, but almost as suddenly as he threw her, he pinned her to the ground. She gasped out at the sudden force. His face was contorted into that of sick pleasure. He leaned his face next to her ear.

"I wouldn't get too cocky, girl. There is nothing you can do for them. Whatever you came to offer won't work. The only reason you were brought here is through Ha'ri's reasoning. He thinks you can actually do something, the fool." His voice was low and threatening. His personality had completely changed.

The nearness of his body made her head cry out in anguish. The pain she had felt before was almost tenfold now. She winced in great pain. She wanted to use her power to push him off, since her body was too weak, but she couldn't focus. He sneered at her menacingly. He got off her, stood up, and glared down at her.

"Get out of my sight..." he growled. She at once got up and stumbled out the door, locking herself in her new room.


	4. Strange Dreams

_Whilst The Sakura Blossom Blooms_

Chapter Four

She didn't understand. What had she done to offend him? She'd lay there on her bed in a new, unfamiliar room and questioned herself. She lied there, her legs scrunched up against her chest, kept there by her trembling arms. She stared at the wall across from her, eyes wide and fearful. She drew breath in short, sharp intakes. She was trembling all over, the side of her head hurt, the spot where he pulled her hair. She felt beads of sweat on her forehead. It was nearly evening, she had been laying there for a while, but she was frightened. She was afraid to leave her room, afraid of him. Kayl feared that if she left the room, he would hurt her far worse than he already had. Her arms were bruised where he held her down and her headache was fading slowly. She breathed in and out, trying to calm her racing heart. She finally sighed as she calmed down the slightest bit.

_There is nothing you can do for them.._

The words stung, in which way she couldn't decide. It's not like she wanted to help, but if she had to she would. Kayl's arms relaxed as she let her legs straighten out. She rolled over into a more comfortable position on her stomach, gazing out onto the porch where she left the door open. One arm hung over the side of her bed as the other stuffed itself under the pillow. Her eyelids became heavy.

_Why did he bring me here if he didn't believe I could help? _She pondered this the moments before she fell into a peaceful sleep.

"_Chito-kun? What could Ren-sama and Dragon-kun be talking about?_"

"_I dunno...and don't call that woman 'sama', she is of no importance."_

"_Ok Chito-kun!"_

_Two children about thirteen years old sat out on the porch. It looked to be about mid-fall, the sky was cloudy and grey. One child's legs couldn't reach the ground as she hung her legs over the side and swung them about. She had long, jet-black hair and large dark blue eyes. Her skin was a snow white, she wore a light blue kimono with matching sandals. The other child, who appeared to be male, was shadowed, his features were unidentifiable. He sat next to her as she started to sing a soft lullaby._

"_Kayl-chan?" the boy identified as 'Chito' asked. She looked up at him, smiling happily._

"_Yes Chito-kun?" He gazed down at her._

"_You'll...always be here right?" asked Chito. She giggled._

"_Of course I'll always be here Chito!" she sighed. "I'm not going back to the place I once called home...this is my home now!" She laughed as she stood up and touched Chito's shoulder. "You're it, you're it!" she shouted as she ran away from him into the house._

_Chito smiled brightly as he chased a younger version of Kayl around the house. They were both laughing wildly as they raced across the tatami mats. Finally, Chito jumped and tackled Kayl to the ground. She gasped in delight and surprise as they hit the floor. They rolled for a minute before she sat on him. She giggled._

"_Pinned ya." She said playfully. He smiled warmly up at her, and she returned it. _

_Kayl rolled off him and he sat up. Chito looked over to her and gazed into her eyes. She blushed as he did. He leaned in as if to kiss her, and she was about to meet her lips to his, but they're bliss was broken by a cold voice. _

"_Kayla." They turned and saw a woman who was shaded. Next to her was a man that was shaded as well._

"_Yes Ren-sama?" She saw Chito wince in annoyance as Kayl call her that. _

"_We need you to come with us..." the man had a sad look in his eyes. Chito's eyes shot open as he saw them._

"_You're having her memories erased aren't you?" He asked with slight anger in his voice. Kayl looked at all of them worriedly._

"_It is for the best son, she is not yet ready..." Ren said. Chito seemed to burst with anger suddenly._

"_What do you mean 'not ready'! If not, she can wait here until she is!" He shouted. "How dare you take away the only person that has brought me happiness thus far! As head of this house, I will not allow it!"_

"_And as your mother, I say it is not your decision! It is for the better, she doesn't need to be poisoned with your burden..." Her voice was cold as ice. Chito glared at her. "Ha'ri...take her away."_

_Ha'ri nodded solemnly and walked over to Kayl. She started backing up._

"_No..." Her eyes were big. "I wanna stay here!"_

"_I'm sorry Kayl...we have to go." He reached over to her, she slapped his hand away._

"_No!" she was shouting now. Her eyes were glowing now. _

"_My God, If you want something done right!" Ren walked briskly over to her and shot out for her arm. Kayl was fast and dodged, but her hair was grabbed instead._

_She cried out in pain as she was dragged away by her hair, hot tears rolled down her face._

"_Let her go!" Chito ran over to his mother and tried to get Kayl free, but Ren backhanded him and he went flying to the floor._

"_Chito-kun!" Kayl shouted as she reached out to him. He slowly reached his hand to her, he looked hurt. Their fingers barely touched before she was dragged farther away. _

_She struggled more as she tried to get to him, to help him. But Ren wouldn't let go. As she was dragged, she spotted a pair of scissors on the nearby table. Her eyes glowed as the scissors floated over to her. She grabbed them and, swiftly, chopped off her long hair. She seemed to fall very slowly. She saw pieces of her long hair fall from Ren's hand. As soon as she hit the floor, she scrambled to get up, but Ren jumped her and pinned her to the ground. Kayl struggled, but it was in vain. _

"_Hatori! Do it! Erase her memory now!" Ren shouted towards the man. _

_The man rushed over and, kneeling down, pressed his palm to her head. She continued struggling as he was preparing to take away her memories. _

"_Kayl! No!" was the last thing she heard from the boy before there was a large flash and all went black._

Kayl shot up in a cold sweat. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around. What just happened there? She knew she had a strange nightmare, but she could only remember bits and pieces of it. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. She was still a little scared from the dream, she reached for a nearby vase and hid it behind her back.

"C-come in" The door slid open and she threw the vase, hoping to hit Akito, but instead, Hatori dodged the oncoming vase.

"What the cha!" He shouted as the vase hit the nearby wall. They stared at each other for a moment, blinking for a few seconds. "...It's time for dinner." Hatori said as he turned and walked out the door, a little embarrassed at his sudden outburst.

Kayl shook her head, got up and followed him down the hall. She was nervous, was Akito going to be there? Hatori walked into the dining room and sat down. As soon as she set one foot into the room, her eyes grew wide in fear. There, sitting at the head of the table was Akito, smirking. Kayl gulped as she walked over to sit next to Hatori, wanting to be as far away from him as possible.

"Wait." Said Akito. Kayl winced and turned to look at him.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"You're sitting here, next to me." He pointed to the spot that was closest to him.

Kayl mentally cursed herself. She slowly walked over and sat next to him. Her headache was returning, she winced in pain, but did her best to hide it. The food came, there was a good variety to choose from. Pot-stickers, rice-balls, noodles, and some others. She ate her food in silence, keeping her eyes to the table, trying her best to ignore Akito and the pain in her head. Akito kept looking her over, and she could tell. His eyes continued to wander away from his food and over to her.

_She seems so...familiar..._ He thought. Akito finally spoke to her.

"So...I never caught your name girl. What is it?" he asked softly. Kayl ignored him and reached for a rice-ball. This angered him and he shot out, grabbing her wrist tightly. "I said...What is your name _girl_?"He squeezed her wrist. She flinched in pain.

"I-it's Kayl. Kayl Sumizome." She made sure to say it loud enough for him to hear.

Akito's eyes shot open, his face was even paler than usual. She looked up at him, wondering what she had just done. He growled and constricted her wrist in a tighter grip.

"Tell me your _real _name!" He shouted at her. She stared at him in disbelief.

"That is my real name!" She exclaimed. He was crushing her wrist now, glaring at her.

He dropped her wrist, still glaring at her. She pulled her arm back and nursed her sore wrist. She was disturbed now.

"What is your problem!" She shouted at him. He leapt up and pointed at her.

"_You _are the problem! You come into our lives thinking you can change things when you can't! And now you have the audacity to sit there and lie!" He screamed. Hatori jumped up to hold him back.

"I didn't _ask _to be brought here! You brought me here!_ And I'm not lying!_" She was shrieking now. Akito growled at her.

"I did so for a reason! I will make you regret ever stumbling upon our curse!" Akito shoved Hatori off of him and ran down the hall into his room. Kayl and Hatori stared after him.

Akito slammed the door to his room and stalked over to his bed, sitting down. He rubbed his temples and stared at the ground. He was gasping heavily and beads of sweat trailed down his forehead.

"That couldn't be her...she's dead." He muttered to himself before laying down and falling into a fitful sleep.


End file.
